Frank Richard Folkerth was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 23, 1934. He died at his home in Dallas, Texas, on November 16, 2015. Dick graduated from Dixie Heights High School, in Park Hills, Kentucky, where his lifelong loves of photography, baseball, and cycling all first developed. He was also an avid model airplane builder. Dick graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 1957 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and would later receive a master's degree in engineering from SMU. During his undergraduate years, Dick worked a co-op internship at the Chance Vought company in Grand Prairie, Texas. After graduation, Dick was hired at Chance Vought, and never left. While the company changed names multiple times--ending up as a part of Lockheed Martin--Dick remained a loyal employee until he retired more than 45 years later. By retirement, Dick was Director of Systems Engineering, and over his career worked on projects such as the Scout missile and several advanced missile intercept systems. Dick met Pat Mays at the Ridgewood Garden Apartments in Dallas, where they both lived as young singles. They were married on June 12, 1960, in Atlanta, Texas, and by the mid-1960s, they were established in Dallas. Pat and Dick have three children, Eric, Dianne, and Linda, and Dick was extremely involved in their lives. He coached soccer, basketball, and t-ball, was involved with YMCA Indian Guides/Princesses, and taught Sunday School with Pat. Dick received a PTA lifetime achievement award for supervising playground construction at Spring Creek Elementary. Dick was an avid cyclist until heart issues drove him from the bike. He loved photography, and won awards at the State Fair of Texas. In recent years, Dick was a passionate genealogist and helped trace Folkerth family roots to the early 1700s in Europe. In the late 1990s, Pat and Dick built a house in the lake community of Callender Lake, Texas, and have split time between Dallas and their community of friends there since. Dick Folkerth is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Mays Folkerth of Dallas and Callender Lake, Texas; his sister and brother-in-law, Alice and John Grow of Denver, Colorado; his son and daughter-in-law, Eric Folkerth and Dennise Garcia of Dallas; his daughter and son-in-law, Dianne Folkerth and Chris Parker of Austin; his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and David Elmer of Houston; and by four amazing grandchildren: Maria Folkerth, Sam Elmer, Addie Elmer, and Theo Parker. A visitation with the family will be held at the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park on Thursday, November 19, from 6-8 pm. Funeral services will be at 4 pm on Friday, November 20, at Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, Rev. Frank Rahm presiding. Memorial gifts may be made to UT Southwestern Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research.
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